The student experience of working in teams online

The research reported here is part of a project undertaken at a large Australian university in late 2005. The overall aim of the project was to identify the characteristics of student learning in an online environment. A university-wide student survey was conducted to ascertain student views of online learning and also of online teaching as part of the project. In the survey students were asked questions about their experiences of team work in online environments. The student perceptions of teams and team work are the focus of this paper.

The findings from the survey indicated that students appreciated the opportunity of working in diverse teams. They supported the view that their opinions were valued in such teams. Student views of how teaching should be conducted in units with online teams were also expressed. Concerns about team interactions, technological barriers and communication and cultural issues were also raised. The implications for teaching with online student teams are presented and discussed.

An online student portfolio for the development and assessment of engineering graduate attributes

An online student portfolio was evaluated as a means for engaging students with the concept of graduate attributes, and for documenting student attainment of graduate attributes. Students rated the portfolio system as easy to use, and indicated that it helped them to appreciate the skills and knowledge they had developed.

Teachers' professional ethics and student relationships : how do these connect?

Formal statements about 'professional ethics' for teachers have become part of the current standards and accountability regime. Such codes of conduct serve many purposes: to define acceptable principles of personal and professional relationships; as a set of protocols by which teachers' conduct may be judged both within and outside the profession; as a political exercise to reassure the wider community of the high expectations held by the teaching profession; and importantly, to provide teachers with a guide in their interactions with students. While relationships with students, particularly those that will enhance learning outcomes, are cited often in teachers' codes of professional ethics, how teachers make ethical decisions concerning students is far less studied and understood. What frames of reference are available to ensure that decisions are (and are seen to be) right, fair and just? How might such ethical frameworks be examined?

Ghosts in the machine : student participation and grade attainment in a web-assisted social work course

For many social work educators, the debate about whether social work education should be delivered using online technology has, as a result of institutional imperatives, moved on to how best this can be done. In this article, the process of designing and delivering part of a social work course using asynchronous online discussion is described and reflected upon. Student participation in the online environment is also compared with final course grades and the findings discussed in relation to existing literature. Recommendations for the future delivery of social work courses using online technology emerging from this discussion are offered.

Reviewing the reviewers : has the education review unit contributed to improved student learning outcomes?

This article looks at the contribution the South Australian Education Review Unit (ERU). It provides a perspective from a secondary school that has undergone and ERU review. It describes ERU procedures and methodology, explains what happened with the Le Fevre High School review, and 'reviews the reviewers' and answer the question posed in the article title.

But they won't come to lectures ... : the impact of recorded lectures on student experience and attendance

The move to provide increasingly flexible platforms for student learning and experience through provision of on-line lecture recordings, is often interpreted by students as meaning attendance at lectures is optional. The trend toward the use of such recordings is often met with resistance from some academic staff who cite anecdotal evidence that student attendance will reduce. This study aimed to explore students’ views of the use of on-line recorded lectures and to measure the impact of this technology on student attendance at lectures. A pre and post evaluation methodology was undertaken using a self-administered questionnaire that gathered both quantitative and qualitative data from students. Overall attendance was recorded at each lecture throughout the semester. Results indicated that attendance remained high throughout the semester and while only a minority of students used the recorded lectures, those who did found them to be helpful to their learning. Most students used the recordings to either supplement their learning or to make up a lecture that they had not been able to attend due to other circumstances. The study also provides evidence that contrary to popular belief, not all Generation Y students aspire to replace lectures with downloadable on-line versions. Many of the students in this study still valued the opportunity for interactive learning provided by face-to-face teaching. Finally, a model that outlines the attributes that contribute to quality teaching is used to describe how recording technology can contribute to positive student experiences and can enhance reflective teaching practices on the part of teachers.

Developing student transferable skills through reflective porfolios

The development of transferable skills in students, ie those relevant to any future employment, is a common goal of degree programmes. Reflection is a mechanism frequently used in the training of medical and teaching professionals to develop self-awareness of personal skills levels that enable participants to become self-reflective practitioners. The intention in this research was to trial reflection for construction management and architecture students through a series of interventions to engage students in the explicit development of transferable skills and self-awareness. Students were required to keep a ‘diary’ or journal under specific skills headings: communication (involving active listening, conflict resolution, negotiation), team building, problem solving, report writing and presentation skills based on their experiences at university, work and in social situations. A range of learning resources were made available to assist students. The journals were analysed according to a recognised coding for the depth of their reflection . At the end of the semester, students were required to “apply” for a job description that required explication of the knowledge and skills that were intended to be further developed during the unit. In practice, few students appreciated the journaling and some were even hostile to the process, but all students demonstrated good appreciation of their abilities and skills in the job application – essentially a mechanism that required reflection. In conclusion, explicit reflection through journaling is not a universally popular practice, but tasks that appear to have some foundation in practicality that require reflection are more likely to be appreciated. Students depth of reflection was found to improve through practice.

Research into cyberbullying : student perspectives on cybersafe learning environments

This paper reports a qualitative study designed to investigate the issues of cybersafety and cyberbullying and report how students are coping with them. Through discussion with 74 students, aged from 10 to 17, in focus groups divided into three age levels, data were gathered in three schools in Victoria, Australia, where few such studies had been set. Social networking sites and synchronous chat sites were found to be the places where cyberbullying most commonly occurred, with email and texting on mobile phones also used for bullying. Grades 8 and 9 most often reported cyberbullying and also reported behaviours and internet contacts that were cybersafety risks. Most groups preferred to handle these issues themselves or with their friends rather then alert parents and teachers who may limit their technology access. They supported education about these issues for both adults and school students and favoured a structured mediation group of their peers to counsel and advise victims.